Russia in trouble in Ukraine, Putin changes generals
Vladimir Putin is not happy. But it’s not even as lonely as many believe or hope. A combination that risks being very insidious. The clear sign of this double reality is the revolution started in the Russian army. With the Kremlin evidently about to change pace on a conflict that has turned out to be much more complicated and dangerous than expected, without however so far affecting Putin’s system of power, which despite the disappointments seems to remain solid for now.
Moscow’s defense ministry has announced another realignment of commanders leading the war in Ukraine amid criticisms over its stalled campaign management. He said General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, would become the overall campaign commander, while the current commander, Sergey Surovikin, will become one of his three deputies. Surovikin was only named overall commander of what the Kremlin euphemistically calls a “Special Military Operation” in October.
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“The generals are moved, shuffled from the front to the headquarters. From the headquarters to the front,” they say in Moscow to minimize. But the decision puts Gerasimov, who has been chief of staff for more than a decade, closer to directly overseeing the campaign. And therefore to the responsibility for its results. Gerasimov also faced sharp criticism from pro-war military bloggers for Russia’s multiple setbacks on the battlefield and failure to achieve victory in a campaign the Kremlin expected to end quickly.
Gerasimov will have three deputies: Surovikin, iArmy Commander Oleg Salyukov and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Colonel General Aleksey Kim. The new structure means that Gerasimov’s seniority will improve coordination in a campaign where different branches of the military have often seemed out of sync.
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